The Fear is Back in the Beard

Nothing has changed from last year. Despite a subpar opening week, the torture is back. The Giants still have not figured out how to get a hit off Clayton Kershaw but they have remembered how to win games. Last night, the Giants captured the rubber match of the series with the powerful stroke of the smallest player on the team. Mike Fontenot was not expected to start but due to a last minute scratch, Fontenot was thrust into the fire and became another unlikely hero to propel the Giants to victory by hitting a home run into the right field arcade. His bomb came one batter after the Slim Panda tied the game up with another home run of his own. Pablo spent the offseason trying to get his swing back to 2009 form and so far his hard work is paying off in a big way. His .357 average is second on the team to Aaron Rowand’s .367 who is also looking to resurrect his career.

Rowand filling in for Torres may have been the MVP of the homestand. He had major contributions in the two late inning victories against the Cardinals and scored the first run of the game last night. Zito and Rowand are among the most overpaid players in the MLB, but at least Rowand is doing something about it. The emergence of Torres and the World Series have seemed to inspire Rowand to start earning his paycheck. Everyone loves a comeback story and Giants fan would love nothing more than to see Rowand continue his resurgence.

The most important result from the series, other than Beating the Dodgers, is that Brian Wilson has his swag back

Arguably, the most important piece from the 2010 World Series puzzle, Brian Wilson gave the Black and Orange some worries when he was injured during Spring Training, possibly banged 7 gram rocks with Charlie Sheen and struggled heavily in his first few appearances in 2011. However, fans can sleep well at night because all the nastiness and intimidation that we are used to have returned. Tuesday night, he struck out the side in lights out fashion and he followed that up by pitching perfect ninth inning to close out the series.

Concerns: Madison Bumgarner’s struggles are a major concern, especially with Zito being more worthless than a Big Mac in India. He has pitched eight innings and has given up eight runs. Sometimes, a poor start can be written off as there are plenty of games left, but Bumgarner’s Spring Training was equally awful. The biggest fear is that last year’s amount of innings has taken a toll on the young lefty. Hopefully, that is not the case and it was some bad luck and poor defense behind him that has led to his 0-2 9.00 era start.

Up Next: Giants go one the road to face the Arizona. Matt Cain who has been the rock of the rotation for the last few year seeks to extend the Giants two game win streak.

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